Diabetes care in 'crisis' say campaigners

A charity has warned that just 6% of diabetics in some parts of the country are receiving the recommended checks and care.

Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said the State of the Nation 2012 report showed diabetics were getting "second rate healthcare".

The number of people who were diagnosed with the condition has increased by a quarter, from 1.9 million to 2.5 million from 2006-2011.

Nine in 10 of people who were diagnosed with the condition suffer from type 2 diabetes, where the body is not capable of producing enough insulin or does not use it properly.

Estimates have revealed that over three-quarters of a million people (850,000) in Britain could have diabetes but not know it.

Diabetes UK said a national audit showed that only half of people with diabetes received the full quota of health checks.

There was a significant variation in how many people received checks, with only 6% in some areas (the worst result) up to 69% (the best result) in others.

Baroness Young said: "This report shows how in exchange for this investment we are getting second rate healthcare that is putting people with diabetes at increased risk of tragic complications and early death.

"By taking the longer-term approach of investing in making sure people get the basic checks and services, we could save money by reducing the number of complications and make life immeasurably better for people with diabetes."